9NEWS reports that Aurora Public Schools’ education support staff rallied outside a board meeting to push for union recognition. The crowd included paraprofessionals, bus drivers, custodians, and office staff calling for better pay, job security, and real say in decisions that affect their work and students. The rally comes less than two weeks into the new school year, which adds a little urgency to their message.
Parents and teachers showed up alongside support staff, framing the push as a student‑outcomes issue as much as a labor one. The pitch to the board is simple enough: if you want stable schools, stop treating the backbone like it is disposable.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Support staff rallied before an APS board meeting to demand a pathway to union recognition.
- Workers cited three priorities: better pay, stronger job security, and more support on campus.
- The timing matters. The rally hit less than two weeks into the school year, not mid‑summer when no one is watching.
- Parents and teachers joined the rally, linking staff stability to student learning and safety.
- The target audience was the APS board. The message was pressure with a smile: recognize the union, then bargain.
My Bottom Line
Help me figure me out: Why would a conservative be warming to private‑sector unions (because I am) yet pump the brakes on public‑sector unions (which I abhor and stand against)? There is a logical nexus. It is called fiduciary duty.
In the private sector, a union gives regular people leverage against massive, multinational, ESG‑bedazzled corporations. If a company overreaches, customers walk, capital flees, or the firm eats its own bad decisions. The pain is contained inside the market. In that arena, a union can be a necessary counterweight to woke boardrooms that think a DEI webinar is a substitute for a living wage.
Public‑sector unions are a different beast. They do not negotiate with a CEO risking shareholders. They negotiate with elected officials (like me) spending taxpayers’ money. That is not a free‑market tug‑of‑war. That is a loop. As a Weld County Commissioner, I am elected to deliver a win‑win for employees and taxpayers. Insert a union between us and it rewires accountability. It slows fixes. It raises costs that residents cannot “shop around” to escape. That is why I am the fiduciary, not a union boss.
So yes, I can applaud Aurora’s support staff for organizing, showing up, and demanding respect. I can also say, with a straight face and a flamethrower grin, that public‑sector unionization makes governing harder, not smarter, and should be avoided at all cost. If the goal is stable schools, then leaders need to pay fairly, manage tightly, and keep the line of sight between board and workforce crystal clear. Otherwise, you trade problem‑solving for performative showdowns and invoice the taxpayer for the popcorn.
